Dog bared teeth twice and growled

[Roma1219]

OK so need some opinions. I got a puppy mali x german shepherd. She is going to be fairly big. She is now 7 months old, we have trained her to a point that people are astounded. Hand fed from 10 weeks old. Last week, two different occasions She has bared her teeth and growled at my 13 year old daughter giving her a treat. I now have no confidence in dog not being in same room as me with kids. She won't do it with me or when I'm in same room. Dog trainer said this is her temperament. Just how she is. Don't give treats. But who's to say this behaviour wont extend to her toys or if she is tired or hot. I want to rehome with a friend with no kids but my kids don't want her to go and just the mention of it sends them into tears. Feels like a ticking time bomb if I keep her though

I can't believe there is so much discussion on this.

The dog growled at your child. Twice. Get rid of the dog.

That's it. Nothing else needs to be said.

Obviously get it rehomed in a responsible manner.

And as for the kids being upset? They'll be a fuck of a lot more upset when the dog scars them for life, or worse, if you don't get rid of it. And if that happens, it's 100% your responsibility to live with every day for the rest of your life.

And yes, I'm a lifelong dog owner and love mine desperately. But not more than a child's safety.

I’m not one to give up on dogs, and I’ve had GSD with no issues, but sadly I think you need to rehome her. For the safety of your family

I just looked up the Mali breed and even the fan site makes it clear that this is not a pet for a family home. OP you seem to have done so much research about training, but none before getting this pup.

OP, have you looked into the protection sports as an option for your dog? Malis are bred for that, as are working GSDs. Maybe you could consider contacting a protection sports trainer -IGP for example. These dogs are a huge commitment.

OK she has been to the vet regularly. The vet is a family friend. Bad Breath stopped with the chews. I appreciate the advice, I have followed my trainers advice from the start. Who owns gsd and the 2nd one I get advice from owns 3 malinois. The pup does display food aggression only with chews very recently and not with her food or even bones. Think the views on the breed are a little overzealous. Hugest majority of attacks and fatal ones are not gsd or mallinois they are bully breeds.most aggressive dogs are small breeds, granted a jack russell wont cause much damage. Yes she is high energy but is not a nervous or reactive dog. Infact she is obsessed with playing with my children or anyone she meets and doesn't leave them alone. In mean time I'm going to stop treats and contact a dog behaviourist to see if I can nip this in the bud and if not then I will look at other options

Luckingfovely
You are absolutely right and op you don't seem to want to take advice to get rid of the dog. You sound irresponsible
But I guess when the dog has maimed or worse you will be on here saying you are heartbroken. With a parent like you your dc are in grave danger. Get rid of the dog today now and put your kids first

The pup does display food aggression only with chews very recently and not with her food or even bones
Don’t give chews.

Hugest majority of attacks and fatal ones are not gsd or mallinois they are bully breeds
That’s probably because most people wouldn’t be irresponsible enough to bring a working Malinois in as a family pet tbh.
Bull breeds are still widely thought by many to be ‘nanny dogs’ and very popular for families.

If your dog is working GSD x Malinois she’s almost certainly working lines bred for protection/security/police work.
I’m not against them at all, I love herding breeds, I have a working collie and have considered working GSD and Malinois before but with having three young children, it’s not a good idea.
The amount of work needed to mould a dog with those instincts into a family pet is incredible and even then, you are unlikely to end up with a super placid, tolerant dog.

Yes she is high energy but is not a nervous or reactive dog. Infact she is obsessed with playing with my children or anyone she meets and doesn't leave them alone
I wouldn’t be so sure.
I’ve met many GSD and a few Malinois too and a Dutch Shepherd and all of them have been wary, high strung/reactive dogs once they hit 6 - 7 months. Every single one.
Some of the GSDs you could tell were going to be seriously hard work as they were exhibiting fear aggressive reactive behaviour as very young pups.

All the herding breeds are ‘reactive’, I don’t mean aggressive necessarily but they are naturally a quick to react, easily overstimulated, wary breed group and in the case of German shepherd, Dutch and Malinois guardy too.
Malinois and working GSDs especially tend to be extremely high strung.

In mean time I'm going to stop treats and contact a dog behaviourist to see if I can nip this in the bud and if not then I will look at other options
Good.

OK thanks for your advice. I will be keeping a very close eye on her. Its last chance saloon. Any further displays of aggression and its game over

@Margaretmatcher

Luckingfovely You are absolutely right and op you don't seem to want to take advice to get rid of the dog. You sound irresponsible But I guess when the dog has maimed or worse you will be on here saying you are heartbroken. With a parent like you your dc are in grave danger. Get rid of the dog today now and put your kids first

This is the bit of Mumsnet I don't like as illustrated above - a poster asks for advice, advice is given, lots of diverse points of view, some off the mark , some not. Its then the OP's decision to decide what to do. So theres no need to cajole, pressurise or call her or him 'irresponsible'. If someone comes with an issue and asks for solution - just give a solution and don't start a pile on if they don't seem to be accepting your (strongly held) view.

@Roma1219

OK thanks for your advice. I will be keeping a very close eye on her. Its last chance saloon. Any further displays of aggression and its game over

That is surely very unfair on everyone. It seems clear that you have been badly advised, perhaps by more than one professional. The very least you can do is to get a second opinion from an appropriately experienced trainer, urgently.

Any further displays of aggression and its game over

It could be.

I would get an opinion and hopefully it will recommend a childless home - which you can relay to the DCs. Letting DCs decide is nuts - also a big dog in a quiet house with an owner with lots of time to train surely is better for the dog.

@Roma1219

OK thanks for your advice. I will be keeping a very close eye on her. Its last chance saloon. Any further displays of aggression and its game over

I don't think this is fair on any of you.

You being constantly on edge means the dog will be on edge too. If you can't commit to the work that needs doing then it's best all-round if the dog is re-homed now..

[quote AvDemeisen]@Roma1219

The views on this breed are not overzealous.

I used to live in Belgium. I don't know a single person who keeps Mals as pets. I knew lots of Tervurens, a few Groenendals, Lakenois but no Mals, ever. They were viewed as working/sports dogs, and not compatible as typical family pets.

I'm not saying no Mal can be a happy family pet, of course not. But why try and squash a square peg into a round hole?[/quote]
Thats interesting. I was in France recently at a dog event and was amazed at the amount of Malinois there. All very chilled and not at all wired up. Maybe a non working line.

Its currently one of the most popular breeds in France 11,000 of them registered in 2017.

I do agree thpough that the working lines or crosses off them need very careful handling. High drive.

All very chilled and not at all wired up. Maybe a non working line
Its currently one of the most popular breeds in France 11,000 of them registered in 2017
I do agree thpough that the working lines or crosses off them need very careful handling. High drive
There is a show line of Belgian Malinois aswell as working.
I would assume they are show lines.

Malinois x GSD is an extremely popular cross for security/police/protection litters.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a GSD x Mal litter from two show line parents, they've always been advertised as for working homes whenever I’ve seen them.

You need to tech your children to calm down around the puppy. I have a working line GSD and the only way to teach him to switch off is crating him.

Obsession with playing is not a good thing either. She should only be playing when you decide it is appropriate, not as and when she chooses. I don't think you know what you're doing.

She is a 6 and a half month puppy. I don't think you know what your talking about. Of course they play!!

@Roma1219

She is a 6 and a half month puppy. I don't think you know what your talking about. Of course they play!!

Yes, but constant playing isn't good for dogs. It hypes them up, fills them with adrenaline and makes it really hard for them to calm down, listen and relax.

I do crate her she has been trained to switch off. She goes to her bed when she is told. When did I say my children were not calm? Malli is nothing like a gsd. Cabt be compared in temperament, build or intelligence

@Roma1219 - perhaps if you posted your general location, someone could recommend a good behaviourist to help. At 6.5 months I wouldn't think of this a actual aggression, but definitely not something that can be allowed to escalate.

I haven't read the full thread. You've got a difficult breed there (mal) and certainly one that needs a big investment in training. I say that as an Akita owner that regularly jokes with the mal owning vet that we wouldn't own each other's dogs as they're so difficult.

Sometimes, you have to accept a dogs traits and reduce as much as possible knowing that you cannot remove. My dog resource guards. We have this down from a snap to a rare grumble but mostly a squirm to the bowl every so often if he thinks you're going near it (and a look of "please don't take my food". I don't know why he thinks I would want it! I would never have said this before this dog but he has taught me a lot!

There are groups on Facebook. No nonsense dog training and one for balanced training that I'm not sure of the name of. I prefer balanced training to force free but it's what works for the dog and the owner.

Obviously those groups are to advise/look for a trainer in your area plus helpful tips. Not to get advice from people claiming to be dog trainers etc.

“Think the views on the breed are a little overzealous.”

Hi, new poster, but have been reading for a while.

The views on the breed are certainly NOT overzealous, and should be taken very seriously by yourself and your family. I’m actually very shocked that a breeder would sell this puppy to a novice handler in to a domestic environment with children. They are, simply put, a lethal weapon put in the wrong hands.

This thread highlights the importance of doing your research when looking to get a dog. A Malinois (or any associated cross) is certainly not a breed for a novice owner (and, in many cases, neither an experienced one). And their place in the domestic home is very questionable to my mind. Many breeds come with significant warnings in place to ensure handlers safety - and this is one of them.

OP you’ve had some good advice on this thread - the most important ones being to rehome the dog responsibly through an appropriate rescue organisation.